Sessions wants flexibility to prosecute Iowa medical marijuana programs
The federal government’s top attorney wants the freedom to prosecute states — such as Iowa — with medical marijuana programs, according to a letter made public last week.
But Iowa officials insist the state’s newly expanded program, which now includes the opportunity for two businesses to grow and sell medical cannabis, will remain safe from federal scrutiny.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on May 1 wrote a letter to congressional leaders opposing a mechanism in the federal budget that prohibits the Department of Justice from using its resources to prosecute states that establish medical marijuana laws.
The provision was written into the budget when President Barack Obama’s Justice Department began cracking down on medical marijuana vendors; originally Obama said the department would not prosecute vendors and patients who adhere to state law.
Marijuana is not recognized by the federal government as a medicinal plant, so medical marijuana programs run afoul...
